Reverse Psychology
by Xinthos
Summary: Sometimes the best way to get a guy to like you is to make him hate you first. [SakuSasu] [OneShot]


**A/N: **This one's been on my mind for a whole of two hours before I felt compelled to write it down. It's not really well thought out and pretty raw, but hey, I thought the plot wasn't too bad. I couldn't tell if this had more drama or wanna-be-humor in it, but I went with humor anyway.

**Reverse Psychology:**A technique employing pessimism in order to effect a positive outcome.

**Summary:** Sometimes the best way to get a guy to like you is to make him hate you first. Saku/Sasu One-Shot

**Reverse Psychology**

It was so easy to think of that she was surprised no one had come up with it first. In fact, it was _so_ obvious that she was sure someone had thought of it first, tried it, and failed completely. But no, she would not fail. If this failed, all hope would be lost. Sakura knew this, but still she had to try.This was it; today would be the day when she would try her new 'Get-Sasuke-to-Fall-in-Love-With-Me-Technique' (Patented name, by the way).

She arrived at the training spot late for once; even Kakashi was waiting for her there. Taking a deep breath she prepared for her entrance, today would be the day, she _knew_ it.

"Sorry for being late, I had to take care of something before I got here." _Like making my super-ultra-master-mega plan._

"Whatever." Was Sasuke's predictable answer. She had to force herself not to hesitate with her response.

"Was I _talking_ to you?" She glared at him. Sasuke looked mildly surprised.

"I suppose not." Was his calm answer, but internally he couldn't help but be curious.

"Sakura-chan! Since when are you mean to Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Psh, Sasuke who?" She answered.

Naruto had become so alarmed by her answer that he was actually preparing to attack this so called 'Sakura.' Said girl, seeing this, decided to clarify.

"I just decided that he wasn't worth the trouble. I mean, what girl would bother waiting ten years for him to pull the stick out?" Even Kakashi couldn't hide his amusement at her sudden change in attitude. Sasuke merely smirked, but Sakura kept up the act.

"Good for you, looks like you finally got over your stupid puppy love and grew a backbone." She actually had to bite her tongue to keep from wincing, but she couldn't stop now! So instead of her reflexive reaction, she said something exactly the opposite.

"I _always_ had a backbone, idiot, and you better shut your mouth before I break yours."

Sasuke couldn't help but find it amusing that she actually _could_.

"As for love?" She continued, trying her best not to give away what she was really thinking. "Let's just say that you lost one of the few of your crazed fan girls left and gained an enemy. You don't need to worry about me 'loving' you anymore. In fact, you could even say I hate you now." Sakura internally cheered when he frowned and shifted uncomfortably, it was _working_! She knew it; this just _had_ to work, because it would be so like Sasuke to fall for something like this.

Kakashi, having finally snapped out of whatever he was thinking, turned towards his students and gave them their simple mission of…gathering…cotton… This mission was, supposedly, to teach them patience. Of course the real goal was for Kakashi to relax and have time to read, but his students didn't need to know that.

They made it to the field just before noon and split up, Sakura and Naruto going to one side and Sasuke, after giving an indignant sound, went in the opposite direction. Sakura let her companion chat away, happy that for once she could make him happy instead of Sasuke, not that the guy was ever happy.The best attitude she could ever get out of him was a satisfied one. How could she make him happy if he didn't let her?

Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't having such a great time. Naruto and Sakura's laughter from the other side of the field burned his ears, and he couldn't help but feel… jealous? No, that wasn't the right word. Uchiha Sasuke didn't get jealous of the dead last; that was for sure. So what was wrong with him? He thought back to Sakura's words. _'Was I _talking_ to you?'_ No, he wasn't jealous. Just… uncomfortable.

'_I just decided that he wasn't worth the trouble. I mean, what girl would bother waiting ten years for him to pull the stick out'_ Was she right? She couldn't be right! He thought about it, his hands still diligently picking through the cotton. It had been a while since a horde of screaming girls had attacked him and tried to rip off his clothes. It hadn't been a problem since Sakura was always there to beat them off with a stick, but it's not like he _missed_ her stalking him everywhere and asking questions and giving him affection. It was just different… disconcerting. Yeah, that's what he was; disconcerted.

'_I _always_ had a backbone, idiot, and you better shut your mouth before I break yours_._'_ She had never threatened him before, he wondered if maybe she would really carry out her threats. She had never even tried using force to get him to do things;Sakura would always just try and talk to him, doing everything gently.She had always been like that, which made him wonder why she ever wanted to become a ninja. There was no doubt that she _could_ do it; training under the Hokage meant that it was impossible for her _not_ to improve. Still, he was stronger than her, right? Of course! That's why he was so uncomfortable with what she said. It only made sense for him to be uncomfortable; annoyed.

_'Let's just say that you lost one of the few of your crazed fan girls left and gained an enemy'_ and what was that supposed to mean? It's not like she could just go out and fall in love with another guy! He was her only option, she only loved him, that's just the way it was. What would she do without him? Well, it wasn't that she couldn't get another guy… In fact, that idiot Naruto was always trying to get her attention. Then there were those boys from the village he heard talking about her, a whole bunch of them… too many of them. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his hands bled from the cuts he got from trying to pick this stupid stuff. Who did he have though? Without Sakura, what choices did he have? His group of fan girls was growing smaller, even Ino had stopped swooning over him and gone to find other… entertainment, for lack of a better word. Was Sakura his only hope, his only option? Should he have been clinging to her instead of the other way around? What would he do if he were never able to have a child to carry on the Uchiha name, he wondered. He never had to think about these things before, because he could always rely on Sakura as an option, as someone who would always wait for him. Of course, he couldn't have seriously expected her to wait forever… he growled at this, now he was frustrated that he hadn't had more back up falling-all-over-themselves-for-him girls. That's all he was frustrated at, right? Yeah, that's right; he was only frustrated; regretful.

_'You don't need to worry about me 'loving' you anymore. In fact, you could even say I hate you now.'_He bit his lip and ignored the fact that blood was gushing out of the gashes on his hand and onto his shoes. Could that be the same girl that had only a few years ago declared her undying love for him? She had said she would leave behind her life for him, kill for him, dye for him… How could she say all those things to him and then completely take them back in threewords? Sasuke growled at his hand and the blood pouring out of it. He was angry at himself for forgetting to bandage his hands, angry at the cotton for making him bleed, angry at the sky for being blue and the grass for being green, he was angry at her for lying to him, for being deceitful and manipulative and completely falling out of love with him… but mostly he was angry at himself for letting it happen.

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Kakashi yelled for his students to head in so they could start home, though his attention was still focused mostly on his reading. Waiting patiently, he saw Sasuke appear first, a basket of cotton in his bloody hands. His sensei didn't question him, he only took the soft fluff from his handsand handed him some bandages. Naruto and Sakura came out at the same time, but Sasuke didn't even glance at them. Of course, Sakura had spent such a good time with Naruto that for one, crucial second, she forget about her plan upon seeing his blood.

"Sasuke-kun! What happened to your hands? Are you okay? Did you get attacked? Damnit! I should have gone with you. Here, let me heal them." She went to heal his hand when she suddenly realized her mistake… clasping her hands over her mouth, she barely stifled a gasp. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pieces began to fall together in Team Seven's minds; the sudden attitude change, the things she said to him, her avoiding him…

"You… you tricked me?" He asked her in disbelief. Sakura cringed when she could literally feel the last possible traces of hope being crushed. She could at least try and do something about it.

"Please don't be mad Sasuke-kun! I was just trying to- I mean I was- it was just some reverse psychology…" For a while he said nothing, seemingly contemplating what he would do, and it most certainly was not what she expected. She wouldn't wait forever, and he wouldn't make her.

"Would you like to go get something to eat… Sakura-chan?" He might have overacted a little bit to her 'reverse psychology' or whatever she had called it, but no, he's not over dramatic. Just… happy is all.

Kakashi watched them leave before turning to Naruto..

"Aren't you upset, Naruto?" He sighed at that, but his grin never faded.

"Kakashi-sensei, I might not be the greenest pickle in the jar, but that was obvious even to me." And that, dear readers, is saying something.

**A/N:** Sorry about the pickle in a jar metaphor… it just seemed right to put it there. Also, I would like to explain for those who don't know that cotton plants are extremely prickly if you pick them for a long time, and it's not uncommon for your hands to get cuts and gashes etc. from picking it without gloves. Just adding that fact so I don't get too many questions about that.


End file.
